


When Pigs Fly

by ironicpotential



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Early Days, F/F, First Christmas, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:09:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21902782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ironicpotential/pseuds/ironicpotential
Summary: It doesn't snow in National City, until one day it does.
Relationships: Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer
Comments: 18
Kudos: 103
Collections: Secret Sanvers | A Sanvers Winter Holiday 2019 Event





	When Pigs Fly

**Author's Note:**

  * For [xLittleScorpion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xLittleScorpion/gifts).



> Merry Christmas to Agustina! Here's a soft little fic set in the early days of Alex and Maggie's relationship. Hope you have a wonderful holiday and a Happy New Year!

“You didn’t have to do this, Danvers.”

National City International Airport two days before Christmas is the last place any sane person would want to be. Travelers pack into check-in lines like sardines; parents wrangle their screaming children, begging them to behave and bribing them with treats when they get to their destinations. Young couples frantically unpack and repack bulging suitcases, unwilling to pay checked bag fees, lest they be unable to afford their much-needed terminal cocktail. Worst of all are the businessmen, unaware of the din, griping about their inability to get a first class upgrade on a full flight. 

But Alex would endure more than this holiday hellscape for Maggie Sawyer. 

Her fingers brush Maggie’s side, swiping at the soft cashmere of her sweater with her thumb. 

“I wanted to,” she says, and she means it.

She’d spend the whole afternoon in bumper to bumper traffic on the freeway to take her girlfriend to the airport and she wouldn’t utter a single complaint— not if it meant that she’d get to see her one last time. 

It may be dramatic— Maggie is only going to spend Christmas with her aunt in Nebraska— but Alex misses her already. 

She never thought that she could feel so much for someone so quickly, but from that moment they met at this very same airport, Alex knew her life would never be the same. Thinking back on those early days, it’s a wonder that she didn’t put two and two together regarding her sexuality sooner. A mere hours after meeting Maggie, the Detective was important enough for Alex to threaten someone with a stool for information on how to save her. But she wouldn’t change a thing about their story. All those misunderstandings and miscommunications led them here— to this moment.

They’ve only been dating officially for a few weeks and Alex can hardly believe how quickly their lives have intertwined. Afternoons spent teaming up to uncover illegal intergalactic weapons smuggling operations easily flow into evenings of dinner and drinks, culminating in early mornings tangled up in each other. 

Maggie’s smile is bright, tinged with the same softness Alex has become so familiar with. The one that is reserved for those twilight hours in her apartment, those bleary early meetings at crime scenes. The one that’s just for her.

She wants to pull her close, to memorize her smell and the way Maggie’s body feels against hers.

But here in the airport, surrounded by strangers, she feels the crushing weight of over twenty years of expectations. She’s nervous, self-conscious, unwilling to share the intimacy that’s so new between them with anyone else. 

Instead she deflects, resting her hand on Maggie’s arm, pinching at the sleek material of the oversized puffer coat that has replaced her usual leather jacket.

“Are you really going to need that thing?” 

“You’re such a Californian girl,” Maggie teases, “It actually gets below freezing there. My aunt says they’re expecting at least a few inches on Christmas.”

They will be lucky if it dips below sixty degrees in Midvale. “I don’t even own a winter coat.”

“You should pick one up. Never know when you might need it.”

Alex snorts, dismissing the idea. “It’ll snow in National City when pigs fly.”

Their banter flows freely and Alex wonders if it’s too clingy to call her girlfriend every night just to hear her laugh. If it’s too soon for anything more than their usual good morning and goodnight texts.

Maggie glances down at her watch. “I board in an hour…”

Despite the time crunch, she doesn’t move. Alex bites her lip. “I guess you better go.” 

“Yeah…” 

If she were seeing off Kara or her mother at the airport, this would be the point where she would give them a hug and tell them to have a safe flight. But this is Maggie. This is her brand new _girlfriend_ with whom she hasn’t discussed PDA. 

Should she kiss her goodbye? Can she? 

She’s more than comfortable showing affection in the privacy of her own home, or even at the bar, but now her arms hang heavy at her sides. 

She swings them back and forth, as if the movement could propel her into action‚ into a decision. 

The need to hold her girlfriend only intensifies as their time together ticks down. 

Maggie tilts her head to the side. Asking. Observing. Understanding. 

That smile returns, her dimples deepening, and then she leans in. As always, when Alex is standing at the edge of a cliff, Maggie is right there next to her, holding her hand, ready to leap.

She never liked romantic comedies. As a teen, she would scoff at Kara’s movie night picks, scowling when the score picked up and the camera spun as the two leads kissed. She knows now that her disgust had nothing to do with a dislike of romance or an inability to connect with someone. 

Now, when she kisses Maggie Sawyer in the middle of a crowded airport, she can appreciate those movies. She feels that elation, that weightlessness, that electricity. 

“I’ll miss you,” she manages when they finally break apart, breathless.

“I’ll be back before you know it,” Maggie promises, taking her hand and squeezing.

Something in Alex’s chest tightens, melancholy taking root. She’s familiar with sorrow— that feeling of emptiness that comes with the loss of a beloved father— but this is an unknown. She wonders if that feeling lives in Maggie too. If they’ve given each other pieces of themselves and won’t feel whole until they’re reunited once more. 

Again, she wonders if she’s getting ahead of herself. 

Maggie slings her duffel over her shoulder and leans in for one last kiss, but they’re shocked apart by an announcement blaring over the airport PA system.

_Attention travelers: We’re experiencing some unusual weather patterns. Flight 234 to Boston has been cancelled. And so has Flight 56 to Houston. And I’m just receiving word that all outbound flights have been cancelled._

A quick check of the departures board confirms the announcement— every single listing has changed to “delayed” or “cancelled”. 

Quiet rolls through the crowd as one by one, families gather by the window. The eyes of children and adults alike widen with joy, then confusion. Outside, against all odds, snowflakes drift down, blanketing the road with snow. 

Alex too is mystified, gaping at the impossibility. Already people have wandered outside, tipping their heads back to catch snowflakes on their tongues. Shouts of glee ring through the air, audible even from inside, as travel plans are forgotten. It's not an illusion, not a trick. It's snow. Real snow.

In National City.

Maggie turns to Alex with a quirked eyebrow and a smirk. “Betcha wish you had the coat now.”

~

“I swear, you Californians completely forget how to drive whenever there’s weather,” Maggie gripes, sliding out of the passenger seat. “An hour to drive ten miles?”

Alex rolls her eyes at the dig, locking the car and stuffing her keys back into her leather jacket. When she’d gotten dressed this morning, it had been a comfortable temperature, but now the air is bracing, even in the agent parking garage. 

“Good thing the DEO sprung for heated seats in the SUV,” she sighs, rubbing her arms. 

Headquarters is bustling with activity when they arrive, agents darting between computer stations, screens switching between news channels all broadcasting updates about the snow.

J’onn stands in the middle of it all, lording over the main briefing room, brow crinkled in thought. “Agent Schott, what have you found?”

Winn approaches the center console, placing his tablet down. He taps at the screen until the image is mirrored on every television. 

“Well, the snow isn’t localized to one area. We’re getting reports from all over National City. There’s even some talk of it having spread further towards the coast.” He flicks through still photos, taken from news stations and social media. “No idea where it came from. But then we caught this on CCTV near one of the first reported sightings.”

He zooms in on a fuzzy image. A single slim figure obscured by a flurry of snow.

“Oh!” Kara blusters in, tracking ice into the DEO from her boots. “That looks like a Ffarkon! I went to their planet once with my father. Freezing compared to Krypton.”

J’onn frowns as he takes in the figure’s outline. “They’re typically a peaceful species. Not unheard of for them to be on Earth, but it’s odd to see them so far south.” 

“Ffarkons don’t have the ability to control the weather. Not as far as we know.” Alex worries her lip between her teeth as she tries to recall everything she learned about Ffarkons in training. Their ability to expel heat from their bodies through the glands in their neck was well-documented, but she doesn’t recall any additional powers. “This could be something more sinister. A Cadmus experiment?”

“We can’t take any chances.” J’onn straightens, crossing his arms against his chest. “Agent Schott will locate the zones with the highest activity. Keep your comms open for further orders.”

“Saddle up your tauntauns people,” Winn says, cracking his knuckles, “we’re headed to Hoth.”

~

“The last time I wore this,” Alex shrugs on the large parka, zipping it up over her tactical vest. “I was considering coming out to my sister.”

Maggie glances around the DEO locker room. They’re hardly alone, but none of the other agents pay them any mind, preoccupied as they are with their mission prep. Her fingers are light on Alex’s hip. “You still gonna tell her about us over Chanukah?”

“I think so. I want to.”

She isn’t ashamed by any means. She has accepted her new normal. She’s proud. Any hesitation she has in telling Kara is rooted in the fact that she likes having something of her own. 

After their first night together, Alex had wanted to shout from the rooftops. Maggie Sawyer was her girlfriend. _Hers._ Maggie could have any woman in National City— the world even— but she’s the one lucky enough to be on her arm. 

It’s such a new feeling, wanting to spend time with someone that isn’t her sister. Being with Maggie feels right and she knows it’s still so early in their relationship, but she needs Maggie to know that she’s serious about her. 

About them.

But first, they have a mission to attend to. 

“Did you need something warmer?” She gestures to her squad, gearing up in arctic tactical gear. 

Maggie laughs, pulling on her own puffer coat. “I’ll be fine. I’m used to the cold. This actually reminds me of Nebraska winters. It’s so beautiful, waking up to see the world has changed overnight.” 

She’s wistful, likely thinking of that cancelled flight and the Christmas festivities she’ll be missing. 

Alex and her father made the trek up to the mountains every year to ski, but she’d never experienced the joy of rolling out of bed to see her front lawn covered in fresh powder. Midvale was far too warm for a snow day.

She takes the zip of Maggie’s coat and draws it up, allowing herself to imagine a future holiday in Omaha. “Maybe I’ll have to see it for myself some time.”

Kara approaches in her super suit, footsteps echoing through the locker room. “You want to go to Nebraska?” 

Alex lets go of the zipper, as if burned, and takes a step back. “It’s a state I’ve always wanted to visit.”

Kara eyes her skeptically. “You’ve never mentioned that before…”

Alex can see the wheels in her sister’s head spinning. Even in her Supergirl suit, she’s every bit the reporter, studying Alex and Maggie, trying to follow the hint of a lead. 

Normally a glare would be enough to shake her off the scent, but today Kara won’t be dissuaded. She leans closer to Alex, lowering her voice to a whisper. “I didn’t know Detective Sawyer would be here.”

“Yeah, she’s uh. She’s consulting.”

The space between Kara’s eyebrows wrinkles. “I didn’t know she had clearance.”

“It’s recent—” 

Her radio crackles with J’onn’s deep timbre, cutting off any further reply. “There’s a hotspot of activity near the pier. Agent Danvers, take Detective Sawyer and Alpha Team to investigate. Supergirl and I will cover the skies. Move out.”

~

The light flurry of snow near the downtown headquarters intensifies to a heavy blizzard as they approach Pier 4. They stick close together, relying on years of tactical training and thermal imaging equipment to navigate through the sleet. 

Through her goggles, the outline of a warehouse takes shape and she stops, directing her team to huddle close. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

Agent Rodgers hums, focusing his own goggles, “Looks like there’s a huge heat spot in the Northwest corner of the building. I can’t quite make out what it’s for. A factory?”

“A meat-packing facility,” Maggie says, her breath coming out in puffs as it hits the chilly air, “McConnell and I helped vice with a drug bust here a few months back.” 

“So there shouldn’t be any workers inside.”

“And workers wouldn’t be hiding in an industrial freezer to stay warm.” 

Alex fiddles with the buckle on her holster. J’onn and Kara hadn’t found any of the usual evidence of Cadmus either. If they had been there at one point, they were long gone. 

“Alright, here’s how this is gonna go. Detective Sawyer and I will go ahead. Rodgers, Lopez,” Alex points to two agents, “you provide cover. Everyone else, wait for orders. These Ffarkons aren’t known to be dangerous, but they might be worried, or scared. Do not fire unless they attack.”

They enter the warehouse quietly, flashlights at the ready, but an initial scan reveals no signs of life. Satisfied that they won’t be ambushed, Alex waves her team over to the industrial fridge.

It’s unlocked, and the massive metal door creaks on its hinges as it swings open. Alex shines a light in the direction of the heat spot and sure enough, huddled in the back behind long-forgotten, frostbitten carcases, is a group of Ffarkons. Four larger ones and two smaller. A family?

The smallest lets out a squeak and hides behind another. _Fear._ Immediately Alex holsters her weapon, motioning for the rest of her team to do the same. 

“My name is Agent Danvers.” She approaches, arms up, palms forward, reminding herself of Maggie’s words. _Our alien neighbors, they’re no different. Most of them are hardworking immigrants, or refugees just trying to get by._ “I’m with the Department of Extranormal Operations.”

The tallest Ffarkon takes a step forward. Their leader perhaps. His posture is hunched, unthreatening. He doesn’t balk when he hears the letters D-E-O. “We didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“We just want to help.” Maggie offers her own outstretched hand. “Do you need help?”

The Ffarkon looks back at the others. “It’s just so warm here.”

“Warm?” Maggie catches Alex’s gaze. She taps a gloved finger against her cheek as she sorts through clues. “Supergirl mentioned their home planet was freezing… It might be winter here, but…”

“We were trying to visit our cousin in Canada, but we got turned around.” A second Ffarkon inches closer, confident now that Alex and Maggie aren’t a threat. “It was supposed to be a tropical vacation.”

Alex finally takes in their wardrobe. Shorts. Hawaiian patterned shirts. Instead of a tropical vacation, they got sweltering heat.

“The heat must have triggered some kind of nervous response strong enough to affect the weather!” 

As unfortunate as the situation is, the biologist in her delights at this discovery. Could they have expelled some sort of hormone into the air? If so, how did that cause such an extreme change in weather pattern?

Beside her, Maggie laughs and Alex realizes she hadn’t kept her thoughts to herself. “Don’t worry,” Maggie says, addressing the group, “We’ll help you get back on track.”

An hour later, the Ffarkons are loaded on a DEO jet to Canada and the leader is so thankful that he offers to meet with Alex for a full scan after the holidays. The mission is a success in that no one was harmed, but ultimately nothing could be done about the snow.

~

When they return to the DEO, the holiday spirit has taken root. Tinsel has been strung on the stair rails and poinsettias are laid out near computer stations. Out on the open balcony, a few agents have started a snowball fight. 

They may be a paramilitary force, but Winn’s jolly rendition of “Winter Wonderland” and the smell of gingerbread are enough to put even the most serious agent in a festive mood. 

Maggie bumps Alex’s hip with her own as they stroll through the hall. “So Danvers, how long do you think this will last?”

“Hard to say. National City isn’t really equipped for snow. And the temperature is still so low, there will be residual snowfall through the night.”

Maggie stuffs her hands into her pockets, disappointment palpable. “I’m gonna make a phone call to my aunt. Let her know I won’t make it.”

Alex frowns. Maggie has been looking forward to this trip for months. Even before they started dating, she remembers Maggie telling her about her aunt’s cooking. 

“Alex!” Supergirl lands nearby, shaking snow off her head like a golden retriever. “There’s still so much snow! We can build a snowperson! And I bet we could beat Winn in a snowball fight! And— you’re not excited.”

Snow in National City is a once in a lifetime event. A _when pigs fly_ type of event. 

She should be excited— elated even. If it were any other time of year, she’d be outside already, working on an elaborate icy defense post in the inevitable Danvers v Danvers snowball war. But she can’t think about that now, not when her girlfriend is pacing the hallway, brow crinkled as she tries to explain why she isn’t already on a plane. 

“Flights are still grounded.”

“Okay? That’s not gonna stop us from going to Midvale later.” Kara lowers her voice, gesturing to the coat of arms on her suit. “We’ve got Air Supergirl.”

“Maggie was supposed to visit her aunt.”

“Oh. _Maggie_.” 

She watches as Maggie slumps against the wall, defeated.

If she couldn’t leave, maybe Alex could bring her along to Midvale. 

The Danvers’ home had played host to many of Kara’s boyfriends throughout the years, but Alex never had the desire to open herself up in that way. She’s never wanted anyone to meet her mother or see the childhood photos decorating the walls. 

She’s never longed to take anyone for a walk along the stretch of beach where she spent the bulk of her teenage years. And she certainly never cared enough about anyone she has dated to show them her father’s old study.

Now when she thinks about her ideal holiday in Midvale though, Maggie is right there beside her.

Her mother knows about their relationship. She’d guessed right away when they’d last spoken on the phone. She’d welcome Maggie in with open arms, pulling her straight into the kitchen to help peel potatoes for latkes.

But Alex hasn’t told Kara yet. 

Her sister has floated back towards the belly of the DEO, arms laden with snowballs that she’s keeping chilled with her freeze breath. 

She’d planned to tell Kara later, hopefully with a glass of wine in hand. She had been supportive of Alex’s coming out, but had been frosty with Maggie since she had turned Alex down that night in the bar. She doesn’t know about the pizza and beer. About Maggie’s heartfelt confession and the wonderful night they’d spent exchanging kisses on her couch. 

She isn’t sure what Kara would think about the following weeks she and Maggie had spent quietly dating, finding time for each other in between long shifts and sister nights. 

“Sorry about that.” Maggie rejoins her, pocketing her phone. She sounds exhausted and Alex longs to take her home, draw her a bath, and massage the tension from her body. 

She settles for a comforting hand on her bicep. “How’d she take it?”

“She’s disappointed, but she understands. She uh…” Maggie pauses, glancing over towards Supergirl. “She said I should bring you with. After the holidays.”

“You told her?”

Maggie reaches for Alex’s hand, tangling their fingers together. “I couldn’t let you be the only brave one.”

It’s such a simple display of affection, but it means so much. Sharing a kiss in a crowded airport was one thing, they had been surrounded by strangers, but now they’re at the DEO. Where Alex works. 

Maggie is confident enough in their relationship that she’s willing to show it where even Supergirl can see. She’s serious enough about Alex to want to bring her home for the holidays too.

Alex doesn’t need a glass of wine for a little courage, all she needs is the feeling of Maggie’s hand in hers. 

She excuses herself, calling over to her sister, “Supergirl, can I speak with you for a moment?”

Kara eyes her warily, but follows. “You gonna tell me what that was about?” 

“I promise I’ll tell you, but right now I really need a favor.”

Kara fits her hands on her hips, one eyebrow cocked. “You owe me. Double potstickers. And I get to ask as many questions as I want.”

Alex mirrors her. “Double potstickers and you can ask three questions.”

The standoff lasts a full thirty seconds before Kara folds, holding out her hand to shake. “Deal.”

~

They touch down in front of a small house a little after 8 pm. The snowfall is light, but already the front lawn has accumulated several inches. The entire street is lit up, strings of Christmas lights adorning each roof.

Maggie takes a few steps, shaking out her limbs as she adjusts to being on the ground once more. When Alex had offered her a flight to Omaha, she hadn’t expected to be whisked away at top speed into the night by National City’s resident superhero.

She’s still not entirely comfortable around Supergirl. The cold shoulder she had received after turning Alex down still hasn’t thawed, and if she’s being honest, she harbors a certain amount of frustration with the hero for her “punch first, ask questions later” approach to law enforcement. 

But Supergirl was her girlfriend’s friend and colleague and she’d gone out of her way to make sure that Maggie got to spend Christmas with her aunt. The least she can do is be grateful for that. Jurisdictional tussles can wait until the New Year. “Look, I know we haven’t really got on, but… This was… Thank you.”

Supergirl’s smile is stilted. “Agent Danvers is… a good friend of mine.”

Maggie shifts the duffel bag on her shoulder. “Uh huh.” 

“I haven’t seen her like this with anyone before. Not like… well…” Supergirl trails off. They’re both trying. “Just don’t hurt her, okay?”

It’s as close to an approval as Maggie will get, and she softens. “Happy holidays, Supergirl.”

The hero jets off into the sky and for a moment Maggie stands on her aunt’s front porch, watching the slow descent of the snow. Somewhere in California, against all odds, her girlfriend is likely experiencing the same awe. 

She sends off a quick text just to let Alex know she made it safely and she receives a near-immediate response.

_I told Kara._

She dials the phone, just needing to hear Alex’s voice. Though they’ve gotten past the initial rejection, those three words trigger the image of Alex’s heartbroken face as she fled from Maggie after their first kiss. She wants Alex to know that she’s supportive of her journey. That she’s all in.

“I’m so proud of you.” 

“I couldn’t have done it without you.” 

The line is silent for a moment and Maggie is comfortable just knowing Alex is on the other end.

“I think I’ve had enough snow for a lifetime.” Alex cuts in with a laugh. “How about next year we go to the Bahamas?”

Maggie’s heart constricts with fondness. It’s early days still, but tonight, she doesn’t doubt that they’ll make it to next year and beyond. “Happy Chanukah, Danvers.”

“Merry Christmas, Sawyer.”

  
  



End file.
